Radio resource allocation method and telecommunication apparatus

ABSTRACT

A radio resource allocation method for use in a radio telecommunication system for a first radio telecommunication apparatus and a second telecommunication apparatus carrying out a radio telecommunication by using an allocated radio resource, comprising selecting a resource allocation pattern identifying a combination of radio resources allocatable within a resource management space from among a pre-prepared plurality of resource allocation patterns, and notifying the second radio telecommunication apparatus of pattern identifier information identifying the selected resource allocation pattern and of startup position information thereof within the resource management space.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of international PCT application No.PCT/JP2005/012643 filed on Jul. 8, 2005.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a radio resource allocation techniqueand a radio telecommunication technique and in particular to a techniqueeffectively applicable to a radio telecommunication system performingradio telecommunications by reserving and using a set of plurality kindsof radio resources.

2. Description of the Related Art

Internet connections using mobile terminals have become popular andhigher speed telecommunications are in demand. A mobile terminalconnects itself to a base station by utilizing a radio resource, and thebase station connects itself to another base station or to an externalnetwork such as the Internet so that a path is eventually established toa telecommunication correspondent. In order to enable a plurality ofmobile terminals to connect to one base station by virtue of there beinga limited number of radio resources, multiple access systems are usedsuch as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency DivisionMultiple Access (FDMA), and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

The TDMA allocates a short divided time slot to a user in the samefrequency band, thereby multiplexing the users. The FDMA divides afrequency band into small sections and assigns a frequency band to eachuser. The CDMA allocates an orthogonal code to each user at the sametime in the same frequency band, thereby multiplexing the users. Sincethe resources usable at a base station are limited, it cannot be fixedfor a mobile terminal. Therefore, the method used is to allocate a spareresource to a mobile terminal at the time at which a telecommunicationis carried out. This requires a control for allocating and disconnectinga resource effectively.

Effective allocation and disconnection of a radio resource is carriedout by a scheduling process that is defined as determining the priorityorder of a process such as allocating a packet to a user of a channelwith a high reception quality at a higher priority, for example.

Known representative scheduling methods include the MaximumCarrier-to-Interference power Ratio (Max CIR) method and theProportional Fairness (PF) method, both of which are disclosed inreference non-patent document 1, for example.

Further, a transmission method suitable to a high speedtelecommunication includes a multi-carrier transmission convertingtransmission information parallelly into plural pieces of data andparallelly transmitting the data by modulating the parallel pieces ofdata respectively for plural carriers of different frequencies within atransmission band. The multi-carrier transmission transmits dataparallelly, enabling a high speed transmission. In this case, the symbollength of the multi-carrier modulation is longer than the originalsymbol length by an amount equivalent to the parallelization andtherefore it is possible to reduce the influence of a multi-pass that isdue to a delay of a reflection wave in a radio telecommunication. Also,it becomes robust against frequency selective fading because the bandwidth per carrier is narrower in the frequency range. An example of onesuch multi-carrier transmission system is Orthogonal Frequency DivisionMultiplexing (OFDM) using orthogonal carriers. A parallel use of theOFDM system with TDMA or CDMA makes it possible to perform usermultiplexing in a time zone or code zone in addition to carrying out aparallel transmission in the frequency direction and to use a radioresource effectively.

In the case of an access method for reserving a resource prior tocarrying out a telecommunication, receiving the reservation result, andstarting a transmission of data in a radio telecommunication, if thereare a plurality of resources allowing a reservation, the amount ofcontrol information for notifying the allocated resource is increased.

As an example, in the case of a system in which a mobile terminal sendsa resource reservation signal to a base station in an uplinktransmission, then allocates are source and notifies the mobile terminalof the result of allocation in a downlink channel, it is also possibleto transmit data in a downlink direction and to control informationcontaining the allocation result in the same channel for an effectiveutilization of the resource. Such a case results in the controlinformation and downlink data sharing a predetermined amount ofresources and the volume of downlink data allowed to be transmittedtogether being reduced if the amount of control information is large,thus generating the problem of decreasing the downlink throughput.

Reference patent document 1 has put forth a system performing ascheduling by using a three-dimensional resource comprising frequency,time, and code in which a head slot and allocated spatial rangeinformation are reported as notification information. The spatialinformation indicates a rectangular solid enclosed by the unit frequencyband, unit time slot and unit code, a combination of a plurality ofwhich is allocated when allocating using a form other than therectangular solid. The amount of notification informationproportionately increases with the number of solids and therefore, ifthe form of the spatial range information becomes complex, a largenumber of resources for carrying the control information are consumed,thus ushering in the problem of a decrease in downlink throughput. Adecreased amount of transmitted information accompanies a decreasedthroughput, bringing about the risk of a delayed transmission of theinformation and the possibility of not satisfying a permissible delay ina real-time service; real-time service requires a strict requirementwith regard to a delay, such as in the situation of a voicetelecommunication (e.g., Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)) using apacket (s), a service that is predicted to be popular in the future.

-   Non-patent document 1: A. Jalali, R. Padovani, R. Pankaj, “Data    Throughput of CDMA-HDR a High Efficiency-High Data Rate Personal    Communication Wireless System”, VTC2000 Spring, May 2000-   Patent document 1: Laid-Open Japanese Patent Application Publication    No. 2005-117579

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A purpose of the present invention is to provide a technique enabling areduction in the amount of information required for reporting a resultof allocating a radio resource in a radio telecommunication that iscarrying out the information telecommunication by reserving andallocating the radio resource.

Another purpose of the present invention is to provide a techniqueenabling the prevention of a transmission delay of telecommunicationinformation attributable to an increased amount of information requiredfor reporting a result of allocating a radio resource in a radiotelecommunication that is carrying out the information telecommunicationby reserving and allocating the radio resource.

A first aspect of the present invention is to provide a radio resourceallocation method for use in a radio telecommunication system for afirst radio telecommunication apparatus and a second telecommunicationapparatus carrying out a radio telecommunication by using an allocatedradio resource, comprising selecting a resource allocation patternidentifying a combination of radio resources allocatable within aresource management space from among a pre-prepared plurality ofresource allocation patterns, and notifying the second radiotelecommunication apparatus of pattern identifier informationidentifying the selected resource allocation pattern and of startupposition information thereof within the resource management space.

A second aspect of the present invention is to provide the radioresource allocation method noted in the first aspect, comprising thesteps of preparing a plurality of resource allocation patternsspecifying different combinations of the radio resources within aresource management space in which the radio resources are managed,selecting the resource allocation pattern applicable to a combination ofthe radio resources utilizable within the resource management space fromamong a plurality of the resource allocation patterns, and notifying thesecond radio telecommunication apparatus of pattern identifierinformation identifying the selected resource allocation pattern and ofstartup position information thereof within the resource managementspace.

A third aspect of the present invention is to provide the radio resourceallocation method noted in the first aspect, wherein the second radiotelecommunication apparatus carries out the steps of preparing aplurality of the resource allocation patterns, selecting the radioresource to be used on the basis of notified said pattern identifierinformation and notified said startup position information, and carryingout a radio telecommunication with the first radio telecommunicationapparatus by using the selected radio resource.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is to provide the radioresource allocation method noted in the first aspect, wherein the radioresource is constituted by one or a combination of two or more, offrequency, code, and time.

A fifth aspect of the present invention is to provide the radio resourceallocation method noted in the first aspect, preparing a plurality ofthe resource allocation patterns corresponding to combinations of onlyadjacent resources in any of the directions of frequency axis, time axisor code axis, within the resource management space when two or more ofthe elements comprising, frequency, code, and time, are used as theradio resource.

A sixth aspect of the present invention is to provide the radio resourceallocation method noted in the first aspect, selecting the resourceallocation pattern in which the transmission completion clock timepredicted from the combination of radio resources is the earliest whenthe resource allocation pattern is selected.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is to provide the radioresource allocation method noted in the first aspect, selecting aresource allocation pattern in which the transmission completion clocktime predicted from the combination of radio resources does not exceed apermissible delay required by the second radio telecommunicationapparatus when the resource allocation pattern is selected.

An eighth aspect of the present invention is to provide atelecommunication apparatus, comprising: a storage unit for retaining aplurality of resource allocation patterns specifying differentcombinations of radio resources within a resource management space inwhich the radio resources are managed; a request information detectionunit for detecting allocation request information of the radio resource;a resource pattern search allocation unit for searching for the resourceallocation pattern corresponding to a combination of the allocatableradio resources in accordance with the allocation request information;and an allocation information notification unit for reporting patternidentifier information identicating the selected resource allocationpattern and reporting a startup position information thereof within theresource management space.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is to provide thetelecommunication apparatus noted in the eighth aspect, wherein theradio resource is constituted by one, or a combination of two or more,of frequency, code, and time.

A tenth aspect of the present invention is to provide thetelecommunication apparatus noted in the eighth aspect, wherein aplurality of the resource allocation patterns corresponding tocombinations of only adjacent resources in any of the directions offrequency axis, time axis or code axis, within the resource managementspace are set in the storage unit two or more of the element comprisingfrequency, code, and time, are used as the radio resource.

An eleventh aspect of the present invention is to provide thetelecommunication apparatus noted in the eighth aspect, wherein theresource pattern search allocation unit selects the resource allocationpattern in which a transmission completion clock time predicted from thecombination of radio resources is the earliest.

A twelfth aspect of the present invention is to provide thetelecommunication apparatus noted in the eighth aspect, wherein theresource pattern search allocation unit selects a resource allocationpattern in which a transmission completion clock time predicted from thecombination of radio resources does not exceed a required permissibledelay.

A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is to provide atelecommunication apparatus, comprising: a storage unit retaining aplurality of resource allocation patterns; a request informationnotification unit for reporting allocation request information of aradio resource; an allocation information detection unit for detectingpattern identifier information for identifying the notified resourceallocation pattern and detecting startup position information of theresource allocation pattern; an allocation resource judgment unit fordetermining a usage radio resource on the basis of the resourceallocation pattern obtained from the storage unit on the basis of thepattern identifier information and the startup position information; anda transmission unit for carrying out information telecommunication byusing the usage radio resource.

A fourteenth aspect of the present invention is to provide thetelecommunication apparatus noted in the thirteenth aspect, wherein therequest information notification unit sets, in the allocation requestinformation, at least one of a permissible delay time, transmissionspeed, and telecommunication line condition information.

The present invention noted above brings forth the effects or benefitsdescribed in paragraphs (i) through (vi) following:

(i) A flexible resource allocation in accordance with the number ofpatterns is enabled by pre-determining a pattern of radio resources tobe allocated, and a notification of the allocated radio resourceinformation requires only a minimum amount of information, therebyenabling a reduction in control information and an effective utilizationof a radio resource.

(ii) The notification of information related to a permissible delaytogether with a request for a radio resource makes it possible toallocate the radio resource by considering a delay, satisfying thepermissible delay.

(iii) The definition of an allocation pattern by using one or pluralitems of the elements comprising the three-dimensional resource, i.e.,frequency, time, and code, as a radio resource makes it possible tocarry out a flexible resource allocation and also to reduce the amountof control information required for reporting the allocated resource,thus enabling an effective utilization of the radio resources.

(iv) The definition of only an allocation pattern using only theadjacent blocks in the kind of resource of any of the directions offrequency, time, or code when using plural items of the elementscomprising the three-dimensional resource, i.e., the frequency, time,and code makes it possible to reduce the number of patterns of allocatedresources and the amount of control information.

(v) The selection of a pattern of which the transmission completionclock time is the earliest when selecting a resource allocation patternshortens the delay.

(vi) The selection of a pattern of which the transmission completionclock time does not exceed a permissible delay when selecting a resourceallocation pattern makes it possible to satisfy the permissible delay.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram exemplifying a configuration of a radiotelecommunication system comprising a radio telecom apparatus accordingto a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram exemplifying a configuration of a radiotelecommunication apparatus constituting a base station according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram exemplifying a configuration of a radiotelecommunication apparatus constituting a mobile station according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram exemplifying, in greater detail, aconfiguration of a part of a radio telecommunication apparatusconstituting a mobile station according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram exemplifying an allocation patterndefinition for a two-dimensional resource;

FIG. 6 is a description diagram exemplifying a resource allocationresult, and resource allocation information, for a two-dimensionalresource;

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram exemplifying a structure of allocationrequest information used in a resource allocation method according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram exemplifying a format of allocationnotification information;

FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram exemplifying a transmission method forallocation request information and allocation notification informationaccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram exemplifying a transmission method forallocation request information and allocation notification informationaccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart exemplifying an allocation method for a resourceat a base station;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart exemplifying an operation of a mobile station ina resource allocation method according to a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing a modified embodiment of a resourceallocation method on a base station side;

FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram exemplifying a structure of anallocation pattern definition table and resource memory (i.e., aresource space) in the case of allocating any one of frequency, time, orcode as resource;

FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram exemplifying a structure of anallocation pattern definition table and resource memory (i.e., aresource space) in the case of using frequency and time as resources;

FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram exemplifying a structure of anallocation pattern definition table and resource memory (i.e., aresource space) in the case of using frequency, time, and code asresources;

FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram exemplifying a structure of anallocation pattern definition table and resource memory (i.e., aresource space) in the case of allocating plural pieces of individualslots of frequency, time, and code;

FIG. 18 is a conceptual diagram showing an allocation pattern definitiontable configured to specify only adjacent resources in the case ofspecifying two resources, i.e., frequency and time;

FIG. 19 is a conceptual diagram of an allocation pattern definitiontable in the case of specifying only adjacent resources in any of thedirections of frequency, time or code;

FIG. 20 is a flow chart exemplifying a resource allocation method in thecase of placing a transmission completion clock time in priority;

FIG. 21 is a flow chart exemplifying a resource allocation methodallocating a combination of resources which satisfy a requiredpermissible delay and of which the transmission completion clock time isthe earliest; and

FIG. 22 is a flow chart showing a modified embodiment of a resourceallocation method according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following is a detailed description of the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention by referring to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram exemplifying a configuration of a radiotelecommunication system comprising a radio telecommunication apparatusaccording to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 isa block diagram exemplifying a configuration of a radiotelecommunication apparatus constituting a base station according to thepresent embodiment; FIG. 3 is a block diagram exemplifying aconfiguration of a radio telecommunication apparatus constituting amobile station according to the present embodiment; and FIG. 4 is ablock diagram exemplifying, in greater detail, a configuration of a partof a radio telecommunication apparatus constituting a mobile stationaccording to the present embodiment.

The radio telecom system according to the present embodiment comprises aplurality of base stations 30 and a plurality of mobile stations 40 forcarrying out radio telecommunications between themselves and therespective base stations 30. The plurality of base stations 30 areconnected to a host network 10, through which informationtelecommunication between the individual base stations 30 (i.e., theplurality of mobile stations 40 subordinate to the plurality of basestations 30) are carried out.

The host network 10 is connected to an external network 20, such as apublic telecommunication network for example, and the individual mobilestation 40 is enabled for information telecommunication with theexternal network 20.

As exemplified in FIG. 2, the base station 30 according to the presentembodiment comprises a control unit 31, an input/output interface 32, atransmission unit 33, a modulation unit 34, an amplification unit 35, ademodulation unit 36, a reception unit 37, a transmission antenna Tx, areception antenna Rx and a resource allocation unit 38.

In a reception process, a reception signal received at the receptionantenna Rx is decoded at the demodulation unit 36 and is then handed tothe reception unit 37. The reception unit 37 then applies a decodingprocess to the reception signal and divides it into control data andinformation data, and the control data is then handed to the controlunit 31 and the information data is output to the host network 10 by wayof the input/output interface 32.

In a transmission process, information desired to be transmitted isinput by way of the input/output interface 32 and is handed to thetransmission unit 33. The transmission unit 33 performs the generationof control data, coding, interleaving and the generation of controltiming. The output of the transmission unit 33 is modulated by themodulation unit 34 and transmitted from the transmission antenna Tx byway of the amplification unit 35. Note that the modulation method isarbitrary. Also, the amplification unit 35 is optional. Further, thecontrol unit 31 controls the entirety of the base station 30.

The resource allocation unit 38 comprises a request informationdetection unit 38 a, a resource pattern search allocation unit 38 b, anallocation information notification unit 38 c, and a storage apparatus38 d.

The storage apparatus 38 d stores an allocation pattern definition table50 and resource memory 60, which are described later.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram exemplifying a configuration of theallocation pattern definition table 50 and resource memory 60.

The resource memory 60 defines a plurality of resources 60 a constitutedby, for example, combinations of time (i.e., a time slot) and frequency(i.e., a frequency band).

That is, the resource 60 a is managed by the resource space 61constituted by the first coordinate axis 61 a in the direction of timeand by the second coordinate axis 61 b in the direction of frequencywithin the resource memory 60. The “a” through “i” within the resourcememory 60 indicates the position of the individual resource 60 a withinthe resource space 61. The individual resource 60 a is managed as towhether or not it is already allocated by a bit map in which sparezones, that is, zones that are utilizable, change to “wormholes” asallocations of resources progress.

FIG. 6 exemplifies an allocation of resources 60 a in the resourcememory 60. The example of FIG. 6 indicates the case of a set of threeresources 60 a, i.e., (t3, f2), (t3, f3) and (t4, f2). The positionalrelationship of the three resources 60 a constitutes the positionalrelationship of (a, b, d) in the resource space 61. The presentembodiment is configured to store a relative positional relationship ofa plurality of resources within such a resource space 61 as a resourceallocation pattern 53 in the allocation pattern definition table 50. Theindividual resource allocation pattern 53 is identified by a patternidentification number 51.

That is, the allocation pattern definition table 50 stores a patternidentification number 51 and a pattern head coordinate 52, both of whichare respectively correlated with a pre-prepared plurality of resourceallocation patterns 53. The pattern head coordinate 52 is definitioninformation indicating a pattern head position corresponding to anallocation startup coordinate 62 within the resource space 61 whensearching within the resource space 61 by using the resource allocationpattern 53. In the example of FIG. 6, the allocation startup coordinate62 is the position of (t3, f2) corresponding to the “a” of the patternhead coordinate 52 of the resource allocation patterns 53 of (a, b, d).

It is therefore possible to identify the relative positionalrelationship of a plurality of resources within the resource space 61 byvirtue of the resource allocation pattern 53 and to identify theabsolute position of one set of resources having the positionalrelationship within the resource space 61 by using the allocationstartup coordinate 62.

Then, a resource pattern search allocation unit 38 b searches for aresource allocation pattern 53 applicable to the combination ofresources 60 a satisfying the allocation request information 80 of astructure as exemplified in FIG. 7. It further searches for, within theresource space 61, spare resources 60 a of which the array state matcheswith the resource allocation pattern 53, detects an allocation startupcoordinate 62 corresponding to the start position of the array (i.e.,the pattern head coordinate 52) within the resource space 61, andnotifies the mobile station 40 of the detection result as control databy way of the transmission unit 33.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a format of control data (i.e., allocationnotification information 70) for a base station 30 notifying a mobilestation 40 of a result of allocating the resource 60 a. The allocationnotification information 70 comprises an allocation patternidentification number 71 and an allocation startup coordinate 72.

The allocation pattern identification number 71 is set with a patternidentification number 51 corresponding to the resource allocationpattern 53 of the search result described above. The allocation startupcoordinate 72 is set with an allocation startup coordinate 62corresponding to the pattern head coordinate 52 of the present resourceallocation pattern 53 within the resource space 61.

That is, the request information detection unit 38 a detects theallocation request information 80 related to an allocation of resourcesas exemplified in FIG. 7 as described above from the informationreceived at the reception unit 37. The allocation request information 80is enabled to comprise at least any one of the items of information,which includes a requested resource amount 81, a permissible delay time82, a transmission speed 83, or Signal to Interference Ratio (SIR)information 84.

Then, the resource pattern search allocation unit 38 b searches for aresource allocation pattern 53 satisfying the allocation requestinformation 80 from among the resource allocation patterns 53pre-defined in the allocation pattern definition table 50 that is storedin a storage apparatus 38 d, judges whether or not it is possible toperform allocation, and selects one of the allocatable resourceallocation patterns 53. Finally, the allocation information notificationunit 38 c sets an allocation pattern identification number 71 (i.e., apattern identification number 51), which indicates the selected resourceallocation pattern 53, and the allocation startup coordinate 72 (i.e.,the allocation startup coordinate 62 in the resource space 61) in theallocation notification information 70, transmits the setup result tothe transmission unit 33, and responds to the mobile station 40 by wayof the modulation unit 34, amplification unit 35, and transmissionantenna Tx.

As exemplified in FIG. 3, the mobile station 40 according to the presentembodiment comprises a control unit 41, an input/output interface 42, atransmission unit 43, a modulation unit 44, an amplification unit 45, ademodulation unit 46, a reception unit 47, a request informationnotification unit 48, and an allocation resource judgment unit 49.

In a reception process, a reception signal coming into the receptionantenna Rx is decoded by the demodulation unit 46 and handed over to thereception unit 47. The reception unit 47 applies a decoding process fordividing control data from information data. The control data is handedover to the control unit 41, while the information data is output to aninformation processing unit provided in the mobile station 40 and to auser interface of voice, video, et cetera, by way of the input/outputinterface 42.

In a transmission process, information desired to be transmitted isinput from the information processing unit provided in the mobilestation 40 and into a user interface of voice, video, et cetera, by wayof the input/output interface 42, and handed over to the transmissionunit 43. The transmission unit 43 carries out the generation of controldata, a coding, an interleaving and the generation of a control timing.The output of the transmission unit 43 is modulated by the modulationunit 44 and transmitted from the transmission antenna Tx by way of theamplification unit 45. Note that the modulation method is discretionary.Also, the amplification unit 45 is optional. Further, the control unit41 controls the entirety of the mobile station 40.

The allocation resource judgment unit 49 according to the presentembodiment comprises an allocation information detection unit 49 a and astorage unit 49 b. The storage unit 49 b stores the allocation patterndefinition table 50 on the base station 30 side as described above, theallocation pattern definition table 50 which are common to resourcespace 61, and the definition information of resource space 61.

The allocation information detection unit 49 a comprises the function ofdetecting a resource allocation pattern 53 corresponding to theallocation pattern identification number 71 and an allocation startupcoordinate 62 of the resource space 61 corresponding to the allocationstartup coordinate 72 from the allocation notification information 70reported from the base station 30, and the function of determining aradio resource 49 c to be used at the transmission unit 43 from theinformation of the detected resource allocation pattern 53 andallocation startup coordinate 62 by using the method shown in FIG. 6described above and setting the radio resource 49 c in the presenttransmission unit 43.

Meanwhile, the request information notification unit 48 comprises arequest information creation unit 48 a as exemplified in FIG. 4. Therequest information creation unit 48 a comprises the function ofgenerating allocation request information 80 from the information suchas the requested resource amount 81, permissible delay time 82,transmission speed 83 and SIR information 84, which are input from theinput/output interface 42 by way of the control unit 41, andtransmitting the generated information 80 to the transmission unit 43.

When data to be transmitted from a mobile station 40 has been generated,the request information notification unit 48 first notifies, by way ofthe transmission unit 43, the base station 30 of allocation requestinformation 80 (e.g., a requested resource amount 81 is included) thatis necessary for transmitting information. If and when allocationnotification information 70 that is a result of resource allocation issent over from the base station 30, the information is received at thereception unit 47 and the allocation notification information 70 is sentto the allocation resource judgment unit 49.

The allocation resource judgment unit 49 has the allocation informationdetection unit 49 a, which detects an allocation pattern identificationnumber 71 which indicates the resource allocation pattern 53, andallocation startup coordinate 72 which indicates the allocation startupcoordinate 62 of the resource space 61; determines a usable resource 60a allocated by the base station 30 by referring to the allocationpattern definition table 50 stored in the storage apparatus 49 b; andtransmits the determined resource 60 a to the transmission unit 43. Thetransmission unit 43 transmits the information data by using thedesignated resource 60 a. In this event, it is also possible totransmit, together with the information data, control data including theallocation request information 80 for reserving a resource 60 a fortransmitting the next set of information data.

Note that a method for transmitting the allocation request information80 from a mobile station 40 to a base station 30 and responding with theallocation notification information 70 from the base station 30 tomobile station 40 may be a method using a single physical channelbetween the base station 30 and mobile station 40 as exemplified in FIG.9 or a method using separate physical channels as exemplified in FIG.10.

In the method of FIG. 9 using a single physical channel, allocationrequest information 80 is set in control data 91, and it is transmittedfrom the mobile station 40 to base station 30 (i.e., an uplink) togetherwith user data 93 that is information data 92.

Further, allocation notification information 70 corresponding to theallocation request information 80 is set in the control data 91 and itis transmitted from the base station 30 to mobile station 40 (i.e., adownlink) together with user data 93 that is information data 92.

Comparably, in the method of FIG. 10 using separate physical channels,the allocation request information 80 is transmitted from the mobilestation 40 to base station 30 (i.e., an uplink) singularly as controldata 91, and the responded allocation notification information 70 istransmitted from the base station 30 to mobile station 40 (i.e., adownlink) singularly as control data 91. User data 93 as informationdata 92 is transmitted and received between the base station 30 andmobile station 40 singularly (i.e., uplink and downlink).

The following is a description of an operation of the presentembodiment.

A mobile station 40 reserves a radio resource with a base station 30prior to a transmission of information. Having received a reservationsignal from the mobile station 40, the base station 30 detectsallocation request information 80 included in the reservation signal andsecures a radio resource in accordance with the allocation requestinformation 80 and a resource allocation method. The base station 30notifies the mobile station 40 of the secured radio resource asallocation notification information 70, and the mobile station 40transmits information by using the radio resource in accordance with thenotified allocation notification information 70.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart exemplifying an allocation method for a resourceat the base station 30.

Having received the allocation request information 80 from the mobilestation 40 (step 101), the base station 30 first refers to the resourcememory 60 and selects a coordinate, within the resource space 61, forstarting an allocation from spare resources (step 102).

Then, it selects one pattern from the resource allocation patterns 53pre-defined within the allocation pattern definition table 50 (step103), compares this pattern with the spare resources, and judges whetheror not an allocation satisfying the request is possible (step 104).

If the result of a search finds an allocatable resource zone, as shownin FIG. 6 as an example, the base station 30 sets a patternidentification number 51 corresponding to the searched for resourceallocation pattern 53 and sets an allocation startup coordinate 62within the resource space 61; both are set in the allocationnotification information 70 as the allocation pattern identificationnumber 71 and allocation startup coordinate 72, respectively. The basestation 30 then notifies the mobile station 40 of the allocationnotification information 70 (step 105).

If the judgment of step 104 finds an unsatisfying allocation, it thenjudges whether or not another unprocessed resource allocation pattern 53exists (step 106) and, if the other resource allocation pattern 53exists, it selects the aforementioned other resource allocation pattern53 (step 109), and then performs the processes in step 104 andthereafter.

Contrarily, if the judgment of step 106 finds no other resourceallocation pattern 53, it then judges whether or not another allocationstartup coordinate 62 exists (step 107) and, if another allocationstartup coordinate 62 exists, it selects the other allocation startupcoordinate 62 (step 110), and then repeats the processes of steps 103and thereafter described above.

Contrarily, if the judgment of step 107 finds an exhaustion ofallocation startup coordinate 62, the base station 30 determines thatthere is an incapability of allocation and accordingly notifies themobile station 40 of a denial of allocation (step 108).

Incidentally, in step 108, the method according to the presentembodiment using the resource allocation pattern 53 may be changed to amethod of discretely selecting an individual resource 60 a, therebynotifying the mobile station 40 of a spare resource 60 a in place of thedenial of allocation, even if an information volume is increased fromthe allocation notification information 70.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart exemplifying a method for determining a resourceon a mobile station side.

The mobile station 40 first has the request information notificationunit 48 generate allocation request information 80, transmits it to thebase station 30 (step 201), and waits for a response of allocationnotification information 70 from the base station 30 (step 202).

Having received the allocation notification information 70, the mobilestation 40 reads the information of a pattern identification number 51,which is set in the allocation pattern identification number 71, fromthe allocation notification information 70 and also reads theinformation of an allocation startup coordinate 62 within the resourcespace 61, which is set in the allocation startup coordinate 72 (step203). Then, it recognizes an applicable resource allocation pattern 53by searching in the allocation pattern definition table 50 stored in thestorage apparatus 49 b by using the pattern identification number 51,combines it with the information of the allocation startup coordinate 62in the resource space 61, and determines a resource to be used (step204).

Then, it sets the information of the determined resource in thetransmission unit 43 (step 205) and carries out an informationtelecommunication with the base station 30 (step 206).

FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing a modified embodiment of a resourceallocation method in a base station 30. The example shown in FIG. 13selects a plurality of resource allocation patterns 53 satisfying theallocation request information 80, determines the one resourceallocation pattern 53 from among them that satisfies the allocationrequest information 80 the best, and notifies the mobile station 40 ofthe selection as allocation notification information 70.

Having received the allocation request information 80 from the mobilestation 40 (step 121), the base station 30 selects a coordinate forstarting an allocation from spare resources within the resource space 61of the resource memory 60 (step 122). Then, it selects one pattern fromamong the resource allocation patterns 53 pre-defined in the allocationpattern definition table 50 (step 123), compares the selected patternwith the spare resources, judges whether or not an allocation satisfyingthe request is possible (step 124), and continues to search whileselecting another resource allocation pattern 53 or allocation startupcoordinate 62 (steps 134 and 135) until an allocatable resourceallocation pattern 53 and the allocation startup coordinate 62 are found(steps 126 and 127).

In the process of the search, if the allocatable resource allocationpattern 53 and allocation startup coordinate 62 are found in above step124, the base station 30 adds it to a list of candidates as a candidatefor allocation (step 125).

Then, if the list of candidates is not empty (step 128), it selects theresource allocation pattern 53 that satisfies the request the best(steps 129, 130, 131, 132 and 136) from among the list of allocationcandidates and reports the pattern identification number 51 andallocation startup coordinate 62 as notification information (step 133).

When allocating a resource of the time axis (i.e., the first coordinateaxis 61 a) as an example of an allocation request by the allocationrequest information 80, it is necessary to consider requirements relatedto delays. The more the allocated time resource (i.e., the time slot) isdelayed, the greater the delay, and therefore the allocation of aresource at a point in time that is within a permissible delay timesatisfies the requirement better. Therefore, in this case, steps 129through 132 above select a candidate for allocation on the basis of themagnitude of the delay time of each candidate for allocation.

Meanwhile, when allocating a resource of the frequency axis (i.e., thesecond coordinate axis 61 b) as an example of an allocation request, ifa system divides a particularly wide frequency band before theallocation, a frequency selective fading is generated in an environmentwith a large number of multi-paths and the reception qualities aredifferent among the divided frequency bands, and therefore the selectionof a frequency band with a good propagation environment that is likelyto satisfy the required reception quality better satisfies therequirement. In this case, steps 129 through 132 above accordinglyselect the individual candidate for allocation on the basis of afrequency band with a good propagation environment.

If the list of candidates is empty, the base station 30 notifies themobile station 40 of a denial of allocation (step 137).

Next, an allocation pattern definition table 50 and resource memory 60(i.e., the resource space 61) when allocating any one of frequency,time, or code as a resource 60 a are exemplified by referring to FIG.14.

First, the case of dividing time into units of slot in the samefrequency and allocating the number of time slots to a user inaccordance with a requested resource amount is examined. In this case,the frequency is fixed and therefore a resource space 61 is aone-dimensional space with the first coordinate axis 61 a being the timeaxis and the individual positions, i.e., a, b, c and d, indicating a rowof different time slots. It is also possible for a resource space 61 tobe expressed by a coordinate, the head slot determined, and other slotsexpressed by relative coordinates, for a resource allocation pattern 53.

Next, an example is shown of using frequency as a resource by referringalso to FIG. 14. Here, the time is divided into units of slot, thefrequency is divided into units of frequency band, and a zone enclosedby a specific units of time slot and units of frequency band isallocated to a user as a units of resource in accordance with arequested resource amount. That is, the first coordinate axis 61 a isthe frequency axis and the individual positions, i.e., a, b, c and d,indicate a row of different units of frequency band in the resourcespace 61 in this case. Also possible is that a resource space 61 isexpressed by a coordinate, the head slot is determined, and other slotsare expressed by relative coordinates, for a resource allocationpattern.

When carrying out a radio telecommunication by using a frequency band ina wide band, a large number of delay waves are generated by reflectionand/or diffraction in a mobile telecommunication environment, theinfluence of which generates a frequency selective fading under whichthe reception power and reception quality fluctuate for each narrowfrequency band. Therefore, an allocation of a combination of frequencybands by determining a resource allocation pattern 53 that matches witha variation of reception power or reception quality in the frequencyaxis makes it possible to carry out a telecommunication with a betterresource usage efficiency in a resource allocation method carrying out aresource allocation by dividing the frequency band.

Next an example of using a code as a resource is shown, also byreferring to FIG. 14. In this case, the first coordinate axis 61 aconstitutes a code axis and a, b, c and d correspond to different unitsof code in the resource space 61 since the different units of code areallocated to a specific time slot. Because a small correlation betweencodes makes it easy to separate a desired radio wave from aninterference wave, the selection of a resource allocation pattern 53that results in a combination that minimizes the correlation between thecodes enables an improvement of reception quality and the execution of atelecommunication with a good resource usage efficiency.

Next, an example of using time and frequency as resources is shown morespecifically. FIG. 15 exemplifies a correlation between the allocationdefinition table 50 and resource memory 60 in the resource space 61 inthe case of using time and frequency as resources. In this case, time isdivided into units of time slot, frequency is divided into units offrequency band (i.e., slots), and a frequency band is allocated to auser in accordance with the amount of a resource requested. In theresource space 61, the first coordinate axis 61 a is the time axis, andthe second coordinate axis 61 b is the frequency axis. The “a” through“i” indicate the individual combinations of different time slots andfrequency slots. It is also possible for a resource space 61 to beexpressed by a coordinate, the head slot determined, and other slotsexpressed by relative coordinates, for a resource allocation pattern 53.

Next, an example of using frequency, time, and code as resources isshown. FIG. 16 exemplifies a correlation between the allocationdefinition table 50 and resource memory 60 in the resource space 61 inthe case of using time, frequency and code as resource. Here, in theresource space 61, the first coordinate axis 61 a is the time axis, thesecond coordinate axis 61 b is the frequency axis and the thirdcoordinate axis 61 c is the code axis. The resource space 61 isconstituted by zones as a result of time being divided into units oftime, frequency being divided into units of frequency band, and furtherdivided for each code series; and then a combination of three items,i.e., frequency, time, and code, is expressed by a resource allocationpattern 53 that is allocated to a user, as a resource, in accordancewith the requested resource. It is also possible for a resource space tobe expressed by a coordinate, the head slot is determined, and otherslots are expressed by relative coordinates, for a resource allocationpattern 53.

FIG. 17 exemplifies a correlation between the allocation definitiontable 50 and resource memory 60 when allocating adjacent slots in thecase of allocating plural pieces of individual slots of frequency, time,and code.

As an example, when the time axis is set as the first coordinate axisand allocating a plurality of time slots, only the time slots that aretemporally adjacent can be set as an allocation pattern. In this case,the number of resource allocation patterns 53 is reduced and thereforethe pattern identification number 51 becomes smaller, thereby making itpossible to reduce the amount of control information such as theallocation notification information 70 to be reported to the mobilestation 40.

Likewise, in FIG. 17, the first coordinate axis 61 a is set as thefrequency axis and only adjacent resources in the frequency directioncan be set as an allocation pattern. This reduces the number of resourceallocation patterns 53, making the pattern identification number 51smaller, thereby making it possible to reduce the amount of controlinformation such as the allocation notification information 70 to bereported to the mobile station 40.

Further likewise in FIG. 17, in the case in which the first coordinateaxis 61 a is set as the code axis in place of the frequency and the codeis used as a resource, it is possible to use resource allocationpatterns 53 designating a resource continuing in the code axisdirection.

FIG. 18 exemplifies a correlation between the allocation definitiontable 50 and resource memory 60 when specifying only adjacent resourcesin the direction of frequency or time in the case of specifying twoitems, i.e., the frequency and time, as resource 60 a.

Also, this case decreases the number of resource allocation patterns 53,making the pattern identification number 51 smaller, thereby making itpossible to further reduce the amount of control information such as theallocation notification information 70 to be reported to the mobilestation 40.

Also, in the case of combining code and time, in place of frequency, andusing the combination as a resource, a similar allocation pattern can beused.

Furthermore, in the case of using all items, i.e., frequency, time, andcode, only adjacent resources can be used as an allocation pattern.

FIG. 19 exemplifies a case of a resource allocation pattern 53specifying only adjacent resources in the direction of frequency, timeor code. Also, this case decreases the number of resource allocationpatterns 53, making the pattern identification number 51 smaller,thereby making it possible to further reduce the amount of controlinformation such as the allocation notification information 70 to bereported to the mobile station 40.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart exemplifying a resource allocation method in thecase of a resource allocation pattern 53 specifying a combination ofresources 60 a indicating an earlier transmission completion clock time.

Having received allocation request information 80 at the base station 30(step 141), it searches for a resource allocation pattern 53 satisfyingthe allocation request information 80 from among the patternspre-defined within the allocation pattern definition table 50 (step142), judges whether or not it is possible to allocate a resource bymaking a comparison with the spare resources (steps 143 and 144), andkeeps searching for resource allocation patterns 53 while selectinganother resource allocation pattern 53 (step 152) until an allocatableresource allocation pattern 53 is found (step 145).

If a plurality of allocatable resource allocation patterns 53 are found(steps 146 and 147), the base station 30 determines the patternindicating the earliest transmission completion clock time as anallocation pattern.

That is, it selects one of the plurality of resource allocation patterns53 retained in step 144 (step 147) and, if the transmission completionclock time is earlier than the allocation candidate, an operation forselecting the present resource allocation pattern as an allocationcandidate (step 149) is repeated for all allocatable resource allocationpatterns 53 (steps 150 and 153).

Then, the base station 30 sets the resource allocation pattern 53 in theallocation pattern identification number 71 of the allocationnotification information 70, sets the allocation startup coordinate 62within the resource space 61 in the allocation startup coordinate 72,and notifies the mobile station 40 of the set resultant (step 151).

If step 146 does not find a single candidate for an allocatable resourceallocation pattern 53, it notifies the mobile station 40 of a denial ofallocation (step 154).

FIG. 21 is a flow chart exemplifying a resource allocation methodallocating a combination of resources that satisfy a requiredpermissible delay and of which the transmission completion clock time isthe earliest. In this case, it is judged whether or not there exists anallocation satisfying the required permissible delay in step 143 a,which differs from step 143 of the flow chart shown in the abovedescribed FIG. 20.

That is, having received a requested resource amount 81 and apermissible delay time 82 as the allocation request information 80 inthis case (step 141), the base station 30 searches for a resourceallocation pattern 53 satisfying the requested resource amount 81 fromamong the pattern pre-defined in the allocation pattern definition table50 (step 142), judges whether an allocation is possible by making acomparison with spare resources within the resource memory 60 (steps 143a and 144), and keeps searching until an allocatable allocation patternsatisfying the permissible delay is found (steps 145 and 152).

If a plurality of allocatable patterns is found, the base station 30selects the resource allocation pattern 53 that has the earliesttransmission completion clock time (steps 147, 148, 149, 150 and 153).Then, it sets the resource allocation pattern 53 in the allocationpattern identification number 71 of the allocation notificationinformation 70, sets the allocation startup coordinate 62 in theallocation startup coordinate 72, and notifies the mobile station 40 ofthe set resultant (step 151).

Contrarily, if step 146 does not find a single candidate for anallocatable resource allocation pattern 53, it notifies the mobilestation 40 of a denial of allocation (step 154).

Note that the description of the radio resource allocation methoddescribed above shows the case of selecting a resource allocationpattern 53 at first, then judging whether the resource allocationpattern 53 matches with spare resources within the resource space 61 inthe resource memory 60, and then determining the resource allocationpattern 53; a reverse case is also conceivable, however.

That is, as exemplified in the flowchart of FIG. 22, having received theallocation request information 80 from the mobile station 40 (step 161),the base station 30 first extracts, from the resource memory 60, allresources 60 a satisfying the request (step 162), searches, from amongthe extracted group of resources, for the existence of a group ofresources 60 a that are in a positional relationship matching a resourceallocation pattern 53 pre-defined in the allocation pattern definitiontable 50 (step 163), judges the existence or nonexistence of a matchingresource allocation pattern 53 (step 164) and, if a matching (one or aplurality of) resource allocation pattern 53 is found, selects theresource allocation pattern 53 satisfying the request the best, thensets the pattern identification number 51 in the allocation patternidentification number 71 of the allocation notification information 70,setting the startup coordinate 62 within the resource space 61 in theallocation startup coordinate 72 and notifying the mobile station 40 ofthe set resultant.

As such, the examples of the embodiment are described for theconfiguration of the base station including the resource allocationunit; it is, however, possible to embody the present invention byconfiguring it to include in the above described apparatus a resourceallocation unit that manages the resources at the individual basestations integrally.

Note that the present invention can be changed variously within thescope thereof, in lieu of being limited to the configurationsexemplified in the above embodiment.

The present invention is contrived to reduce the amount of informationnecessary to report a result of allocating a radio resource in a radiotelecommunication carrying out an information telecommunication byreserving and allocating a radio resource. It is also contrived toprevent a transmission delay of telecommunication informationattributable to an increased amount of information required forreporting a result of allocating a radio resource in a radiotelecommunication carrying out an information telecommunication byreserving and allocating a radio resource.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for use in a radio communication system including a first radio communication apparatus and a second radio communication apparatus carrying out a radio communication, the method comprising: selecting, by the first radio communication apparatus, a resource allocation pattern identifying a combination of radio resources allocatable within a resource management space from among a plurality of resource allocation patterns; transmitting, from the first radio communication apparatus to the second radio communication apparatus, pattern identifier information identifying the selected resource allocation pattern and starting position information indicating a starting position of the selected resource allocation pattern within the resource management space; and receiving the pattern identifier information and the starting position information by the second radio communication apparatus, wherein said second radio communication apparatus carries out the steps of preparing a plurality of said resource allocation patterns, selecting said radio resource to be used on the basis of notified said pattern identifier information and notified said starting position information, and carrying out a radio communication with said first radio communication apparatus by using the selected radio resource.
 2. The method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of preparing a plurality of resource allocation patterns specifying different combinations of said radio resources within a resource management space in which the radio resources are managed, selecting the resource allocation pattern applicable to a combination of the radio resources utilizable within the resource management space from among a plurality of the resource allocation patterns, and notifying said second radio communication apparatus of pattern identifier information identifying the selected resource allocation pattern and of the starting position information indicating the starting position of the selected resource allocation pattern within the resource management space.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said radio resource is constituted by one, or a combination of two or more, of frequency, code, and time.
 4. The method according to claim 1, preparing a plurality of said resource allocation patterns corresponding to combinations of only adjacent resources in any of the directions of frequency axis, time axis or code axis, within said resource management space when two or more of the elements comprising frequency, time, and code, are used as said radio resource.
 5. The method according to claim 1, selecting a resource allocation pattern of which a transmission completion clock time predicted from said combination of radio resources is the earliest when the resource allocation pattern is selected.
 6. The method according to claim 1, selecting a resource allocation pattern of which a transmission completion clock time predicted from said combination of radio resources does not exceed a permissible delay required by said second radio communication apparatus when the resource allocation pattern is selected.
 7. A communication apparatus, comprising: a storage unit that retains a plurality of resource allocation patterns specifying different combinations of radio resources within a resource management space in which the radio resources are managed; a request information detection unit that detects allocation request information of the radio resource; a resource pattern search allocation unit that searches for the resource allocation pattern corresponding to a combination of the allocatable radio resources in accordance with the allocation request information; and an allocation information notification unit that reports pattern identifier information indicating the selected resource allocation pattern and reports starting position information indicating a starting position of the selected resource allocation pattern within the resource management space, wherein said resource pattern search allocation unit selects a resource allocation pattern in which a transmission completion clock time predicted from said combination of radio resources does not exceed a required permissible delay.
 8. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said radio resource is constituted by one, or a combination of two or more, of frequency, code, and time.
 9. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of said resource allocation patterns corresponding to combinations of only adjacent resources in any of the directions of frequency axis, time axis or code axis, within said resource management space are set in said storage unit when two or more of the elements comprising frequency, time, and code, are used as said radio resource.
 10. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said resource pattern search allocation unit selects the resource allocation pattern in which a transmission completion clock time predicted from said combination of radio resources is the earliest.
 11. A communication apparatus, comprising: a storage unit that retains a plurality of resource allocation patterns; a request information notification unit that reports allocation request information of a radio resource; an allocation information detection unit that detects pattern identifier information for identifying the notified resource allocation pattern and detects starting position information indicating a starting position of the resource allocation pattern; an allocation resource judgment unit that determines a radio resource according to the resource allocation pattern obtained from the storage unit based on the pattern identifier information and the starting position information; and a transmission unit that carries out a radio communication by using the determined radio resource, wherein said request information notification unit sets, in said allocation request information, at least one of a permissible delay time, a transmission speed, and telecommunication line condition information.
 12. A method for use in a radio communication system including a first radio communication apparatus and a second radio communication apparatus carrying out a radio communication, the method comprising: selecting, by the first radio communication apparatus, a resource allocation pattern identifying a combination of radio resources allocatable and starting position information indicating a starting position of the selected resource allocation pattern within a resource management space from among a plurality of resource allocation patterns; transmitting, from the first radio communication apparatus to the second radio communication apparatus, pattern identifier information identifying the selected resource allocation pattern and the starting position information; and receiving the pattern identifier information and the starting position information by the second radio communication apparatus, wherein said second radio communication apparatus carries out the steps of preparing a plurality of said resource allocation patterns, selecting said radio resource to be used on the basis of notified said pattern identifier information and notified said starting position information, and carrying out a radio communication with said first radio communication apparatus by using the selected radio resource.
 13. A method for use in a radio communication system including a first radio communication apparatus and a second radio communication apparatus carrying out a radio communication, the method comprising: selecting, by the first radio communication apparatus, a resource allocation pattern identifying a relative positional relationship of plurality of radio resources and starting position information indicating a starting position of the selected resource allocation pattern within a resource management space from among a plurality of resource allocation patterns; transmitting, from the first radio communication apparatus to the second radio communication apparatus, pattern identifier information identifying the selected resource allocation pattern and the starting position information; and receiving the pattern identifier information and the starting position information by the second radio communication apparatus, wherein said second radio communication apparatus carries out the steps of preparing a plurality of said resource allocation patterns, selecting said radio resource to be used on the basis of notified said pattern identifier information and notified said starting position information, and carrying out a radio communication with said first radio communication apparatus by using the selected radio resource. 